The Library Friends, Foundations, and Trusts Handbook

The Library Friends and Foundations Handbook is a must-have resource for members of Friends groups, Foundations, library staff members, administrators, and others who wish to begin or enhance such support group partnerships. Its background details build a knowledge base of what such groups are all about and its helpful recommendations can be put into practice as it:

• Focuses upon the history of such groups and how their contributions matter to the vitality of library institutions of all kinds—public, school, state, college/university, and special.
• Describes the various kinds of Friends and Foundation groups (sometimes combined), how they are organized and run, and ways they partner with the libraries they support so that readers may consider how they too might design and form or augment their own groups.
• Carefully explains how groups can effectively market their membership options and purposes to their communities.
• Gives practical advice on recruiting volunteers of all ages and providing training for them to beneficially aid their libraries both financially and with hands-on assistance.
• Describes ways library support groups can advocate for their libraries.
• Presents a wide variety of fundraising and donation ideas, procedures, and examples that readers can emulate, reflecting current trends such as online book sales, grab bag book sales, gala events, and securing grants along with equitable methods of monetary distribution.
• Offers a selected bibliography, a webliography, and an appendix with sample documents.

The book covers the history of such groups, how their contributions matter to the vitality of libraries and library institutions of all kinds—public, school, state, college/university, and special. It describes the various kinds of Friends and Foundation groups, how they are organized and run, ways they partner with the libraries they support, how they can effectively market their membership options and purposes to the community to which they are dedicated, and ways to advocate for their libraries. It explains how volunteers of all ages (yes, including teenagers) are recruited, trained, and used successfully to aid their libraries both financially and with hands-on assistance. A wide variety of fundraising and donation ideas, procedures, and examples are featured that reflect current trends in such activities as online and grab bag book sales, gala events, securing grants, and methods of monetary distribution.

A former English teacher and high school drama director/coach, Diane P. Tuccillo earned her MLS degree from Rutgers University in 1980. After serving as Young Adult Librarian at the Rutherford (NJ) Public Library and the Reading (MA) Public Library, she became the long-time Young Adult Coordinator at the City of Mesa Library in Arizona where she led a dynamic, nationally-known library teen advisory group for 27 years. Most recently, she was Teen Services Librarian at the Poudre River Public Library District in Fort Collins, Colorado from 2007 until 2017 where she co-led a vibrant Interesting Reader Society teen advisory group.

Tuccillo has been actively involved in and has received awards from several professional organizations, including the Young Adult Library Services Association, the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English, and the Arizona Library Association; has been a book reviewer and article contributor for professional journals such as School Library Journal and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) magazine; has contributed to books such as Nilsen & Donelson’s classic Literature for Today’s Young Adults; and has been a regular and an Emeritus member of the VOYA advisory board. Her second book, Teen-Centered Library Service: Putting Youth Participation into Practice, was published by Libraries Unlimited in 2010; her third book, the completely revised and updated second edition of Library Teen Advisory Groups (the first edition originally published by Scarecrow in 2005) was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018; and her fourth book, Totally Tweens & Teens: Youth-Created and Youth-Led Library Programs, was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2020. Her article on teens in charge of library fundraisers, “Teens at the Helm: Library Fundraisers,” was published in Voice of Youth Advocates magazine in June 2018, and her books mention how teens and librarians can partner with their Friends of the Library groups.

During her long librarianship career, Tuccillo worked closely with Friends of the Library members to gain support for youth library programs and activities. She also served on the Board of Directors of the City of Mesa Library in Arizona for two years between leaving that library and securing her position at the Poudre River Public Library District in Colorado. Later, she served on the Board of Directors of the Poudre River Friends of the Library and as a Poudre River Public Library volunteer for four years after retirement. She currently serves as a member of the Knox County Friends of the Library in Tennessee.